Highlights of the festival included The Secret Screening of the newest James Bond film, SKYFALL also fabulous review, .many fans crowding on Hollywood Boulevard to catch a glimpse ofKristen Stewartbefore the Gala premiere of ON THE ROAD;

﻿ applause and industry buzz from a full house at SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, introduced by star Bradley Cooper ﻿ John Ortiz and director David O. Russell;

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Also attentive audience to Ewan McGregor speak about THE IMPOSSIBLE; proud dad Ken Burns introducing THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE with his co-directors including (his daughter) Sarah Burns and David McMahon; a standing ovation for Xavier Dolan’s LAURENCE ANYWAYS, which was attended by Cannes Best Actress winner Suzanne Clément; Léos Carax reuniting with his HOLY MOTORS’ leading lady Eva Mendes on the red carpet;

﻿ and the sale of KON-TIKI, which is Norway’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission, to The Weinstein Company.

Over 60 international filmmakers traveled from around the world to attend the festival, including master filmmaker Kim Ki-duk with PIETA; Mexico’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission AFTER LUCIA’s Michel Franco and star Tessa Ia; Romania’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission BEYOND THE HILLS’ Cristian Mungiu; SOMETHING IN THE AIR’s Olivier Assayas; and Tobias Lindholm who has two films at the festival (A HIJACKING and THE HUNT).

Other notable artists in front of and behind the camera who came out and supported their independent and studio films included Marion Cotillard and Jacques Audiard with RUST AND BONE; AFI Life Achievement Award recipient Dustin Hoffman making his directorial debut with QUARTET;

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Nick Offerman with SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME; Jane Adams who co-wrote and stars in Joe Swanberg’s ALL THE LIGHT IN THE SKY; Diego Luna who introduced the Midnight movie COME OUT AND PLAY and reunited with his THE MOTORCYCLES DIARY director, Walter Salles, at ON THE ROAD; and Elle Fanning and Christina Hendricks who joined Sally Potter at GINGER & ROSA.

The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization and passes are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

This year at AFI FILM FESTIVAL 2012 there were 140 films (84 features, 56 shorts) from 3,400 submissions across 28 countries, with France (23), UK (13) and Germany (12) topping the international selections. The breakdown by section is Galas and Tribute (6), Special Screenings (8), Young Americans (11), New Auteurs (9), World Cinema (31), Midnight (4), Breakthrough (6), Guest Artistic Director (5), Secret Screening (1) and Shorts (56), and includes 12 official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submissions.

Awards were presented for Grand Jury Award and New Auteurs, The jury is comprised exclusively of film writers: Dana Harris (Indiewire), David Hudson (Fandor), Gregg Kilday (The Hollywood Reporter) and Bérénice Reynaud (Senses of Cinema).

Grand Jury Award went to : EAT SLEEP DIE for director Gabriela Pichler’s “sensitive portrait of a young woman fighting to keep her job and her dignity in globalized economy, energetic performance by Nermina Lukac, positive accolades amongst industry for this work. Special Mention for Performance: SIMON KILLER’s (DIR Antonio Campos) Mati Diop for “her contribution to SIMON KILLER as both an actress and screenwriter.” Special Mention: HERE AND THERE by Antonio Mendez Esparza for “its honest depiction of lives that are otherwise often invisible in our society.”

GRAND JURY AWARDS, LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT

This year’s Shorts jury consisted of Claudette Godfrey (Short Film Programmer for the South by Southwest Film Conference); Mike Plante (Sundance Film Festival Programmer, publisher of Cinemad and filmmaker); Ry Russo-Young (NOBODY WALKS); Ryan Silbert (Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, Live Action Short, GOD OF LOVE); and Jenny Slate (actress, best-selling author, and voice, co-writer and co-creator of MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON, winner of Best Animated Short at AFI FEST 2010).

Grand Jury Awards: Live Action Short: INTRODUCING: BOBBY. by Roger Hayn “for crafting an honest vision of America by making an insightful portrayal of a single man.” Animated Short: OH WILLY..by Emma De Swaef and Marc Roels “for melding a dynamic narrative with innovative animation style that leads the viewer to pure wonderment.” Animation: BELLY by Julia Pott “for its personal touch to technique playful storytelling that is a welcome addition pantheon of animation.” Documentary Filmmaking: WHATEVEREST by Kristoffer Borgli “for constructing a film that contextualizes the digital generation and reflects on what happens when we turn the camera onto ourselves.”

Honorable Mention for Performance: NARCOCORRIDO (DIR Ryan Prows) for Raul Castillo’s “penetrating lead performance that conveys a sense of loss that leaves a lasting mark on the audience.” Honorable Mention for Promising Vision: DOGS ARE SAID TO SEE THINGS by Guto Parente “for pulling together social criticism with a pool party and actually making something fresh and smart.”

Audi is the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; AT&T; the Coca-Cola Company; Creative America; Hewlett-Packard (HP); Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Levi’s; Stella Artois; New Amsterdam Vodka; American Film Market (AFM); and the Chinese Theatre, among many others.

About AFI FEST presented by Audi The American Film Institute’s annual celebration of artistic excellence, AFI FEST presented by Audi brings the audience and the entertainment community together to explore the year in global cinema through the new works of film masters, moving image icons and breakthrough talents, and it is the only film festival of its stature that is free to the public. AFI FEST mixes nightly red carpet galas of Hollywood films with new auteur works from around the world, ensuring that an extraordinary array of foreign filmmaker voices is heard. Launching awards season each year, AFI FEST offers a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing audiences with the very best of global cinema, right in the center of the movie-making capital of the world.

Celebrating its 26th year as a program of the American Film Institute, the festival has paid tribute to numerous influential filmmakers and artists over the years, including Pedro Almodóvar and David Lynch as Guest Artistic Directors, and has screened scores of films that have produced Oscar® nominations and wins including, most recently, THE ARTIST and A SEPARATION.

AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi took place from November 1 through 8 in the heart of Hollywood. AFI FEST is the only FIAPF-accredited film festival in the United States, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category for the annual Academy Awards®